Driving
by imekitty
Summary: Danny has just gotten his permit, so Maddie takes him out to drive.


**Author's Note: **Well, I was recently talking with some friends about driving with parents for the first time and how they always get freaked out and stuff. Then, I was driving home from my summer job, realizing how comfortable I was with it at the moment and remembering how nervous I was in the beginning. Then, this idea just kind of popped into my head. Most everything in here is pretty much based on very real memories my friends and I have of our first times driving with a parent. Naturally, this occurs about a year or so into the future.

**Driving **

"But Maddie!" whined Jack.

"No," said Maddie firmly.

"You got to teach Jazz!" Jack pouted. "It's my turn now!"

Maddie sighed. It was so hard to resist that face, but she knew she had to. Her husband was too easily distracted and, she hated to think it, not all that responsible. "Jack, I'm sorry, but I'd prefer our son to learn _correctly._"

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Jack, offended.

It was a partly cloudy Saturday afternoon, and the entire Fenton family was in the kitchen. Jazz was watching her parents argue while Danny sat down in one of the chairs, nervously wringing his hands.

"You're not the safest driver, Jack. Danny needs a good role model," explained Maddie.

"I can take him, Mom," offered Jazz.

Maddie narrowed her eyes. "_I'm_ taking him."

"But Mom, I'm eighteen now! It's perfectly legal!" cried Jazz.

"You know," said Danny anxiously, "I just got my permit a couple of hours ago. There's no need to start learning so soon, right?" The idea of driving kind of scared him. He wasn't sure if he was ready yet.

"Sweetie, you're not going on the freeway or into heavy traffic or anything like that. You're just going to drive around the neighborhood at a slow, easy speed." Maddie thought for a moment. "Or maybe we'll go to the parking lot behind the hospital since it's close by and usually empty. That way, you'll have more room."

"No way!" exclaimed Jack, "That's boring! He can take on the bigger stuff! Right, son?" Jack winked and clapped a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Um…" Danny blanched.

"He's just beginning!" yelled Maddie, "That's _exactly_ why you can't take him!"

"You're not going to teach him using the Fenton Assault Vehicle, are you?" asked Jazz suddenly, "I mean, I noticed you haven't bought another car for him, and you're _crazy_ if you think he should learn with _that_ beast."

"We can't afford another car at the moment, Jazz," said Maddie, "We're going to use _your_ car."

"What?" shrieked Jazz, "No way! He'll wreck it!"

"Glad to know you have faith in me, Jazz," muttered Danny.

"Well, you're right, he can't learn with the RV, so your car is the only other option," said Maddie.

Jazz threw her hands up in the air. "Buy him another car!"

"I just _said_ that we can't afford another car at the moment, _Jazz_." The woman was starting to get very irritated.

"A used car! Used cars are cheap! Get one from, like, ten years ago!" Jazz yelled.

"Jazz is right, Mom. We shouldn't take her car. Maybe we can figure something out some other day," said Danny hopefully.

Maddie ignored her son. "Jazz, we don't have _room_ for another car anyway! Where would we keep it?" She shook her head. "I promise Danny won't ruin your car."

"Don't make promises like that," said Danny quietly. Maybe _that_ was how he would die: in a car crash. Oh, joy.

"But it's _my _car!" griped Jazz.

"Did you pay for it? Do you pay for it now?" thundered Maddie, "No, _we _do! Therefore, it's _our_ car!"

"That's right, _our_ car," Jack interjected, "and _our _son! So, I have just as much right to teach Danny as you do!"

"For the last time, _I'm taking Danny driving!_" Maddie shouted. She slung her purse over her shoulder.

"It's _my_ car, though!" Jazz shot back, "Why don't _I_ take him driving?"

"It would only make your insurance bills go higher," said Danny in a final attempt, "Why not wait until Jazz is moved out?"

Maddie grabbed Danny by the wrist and pulled him to his feet, dragging him to the front door. "We're going now!" She grabbed a set of keys from off the rack hanging by the door. "And we're taking _your_ car, Jazz!"

"I swear, Danny, if you crash it—" Jazz's threat was interrupted by Maddie slamming the door. The red-haired woman inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to release her tension. She had to be calm so that Danny would be calm.

"Mom, could you please let go of me?" asked Danny. The pressure on his wrist was starting to hurt him.

"Sorry," said Maddie, letting him go.

Danny immediately wrapped his other hand around his wrist and gently rubbed it. "Wow, I never knew Jazz was so passionate about her car."

"Oh, Jazz is passionate about a lot of things." Maddie led him to the Beetle parked out front next to their RV.

"Oh, come on!" Danny huffed. "I'm not driving _this!_ It's pink!"

"Danny, you don't have a choice, now get in," ordered Maddie.

"This is so _dumb_…" mumbled Danny, but he gave in. Out of habit, he headed to the passenger side.

Maddie stopped him. "Danny, you're driving, remember?"

Danny laughed timidly. "Oh, right." He swallowed and climbed into the driver's seat. Maddie moved into the passenger's seat.

They sat in silence for several seconds. Maddie didn't want it to show, but she was just as uneasy as Danny, if not more so. She had felt more comfortable teaching Jazz to drive. Jazz was mature and responsible and had passed the written driving test on her first try, getting every question right. Danny lacked a lot of common sense and, being the typical teenager he was, often did things that just weren't that smart. He had failed the written test twice before just barely passing the third time. This, of course, made Maddie just a tad nervous.

_He has to learn. All kids do. Don't worry, Maddie. It'll be okay._ The mother breathed deeply and handed the keys to her son.

Danny took them, a little unsure. "Which one?" he asked.

Maddie took the keys back, looked through them, then held out to the correct key to him. "This one."

Danny nodded and stuck it into the ignition. He turned it once, then twice.

"Stop there," said Maddie, "Now, what you're going to do is turn it until the engine starts, okay?"

"Okay," said Danny. He turned the key a little more. The engine started, causing him to jump a little, but he didn't release his hold. The engine made a straining noise.

"Danny, let go!" shouted Maddie.

Danny immediately pulled his hand away. The engine settled. "You didn't tell me _that!_" cried Danny.

"I thought it would be obvious!" Maddie tried to relax. The worst thing she could do was frustrate the boy. "Alright, now—well, first, you have your permit, right?" She checked her purse for her own license.

"Um…" Danny bit his lip.

Maddie glared at him. "Danny, you did _not_ forget it inside!"

"No, wait..." He searched his pockets. "Here!" He pulled out the card.

Maddie let out a sigh of relief as he put it back in his pocket. "Good. Now, seatbelts." The two fastened their belts securely. "Okay, now adjust everything. Pull the seat forward, fix the rearview mirror so you can properly see out the back, and then the side mirrors as well." She watched Danny alter everything to fit his needs.

_Okay, now it gets scary,_ thought Maddie. "Alright, Danny, we're just going to pull straight out onto the road. So, put the car in Drive."

Danny found the gear shift by the steering wheel and attempted to move it. "It's not going," he said.

"Well, you have to put the brake down," said Maddie, "Surely you learned that in Driver's Ed.?"

"Oh, yeah," said Danny, pushing down a pedal with his left foot. The engine roared.

"No, Danny, that's the _accelerator._ Hold down the _brake_," said Maddie, trying to be as pleasantly helpful as possible.

Danny only nodded and pushed down the other pedal. He then moved the gear shift into Drive.

Maddie began, "Okay, keep the brake down and check for—" but the car was already moving. "Danny, _stop!_" yelled Maddie.

Danny quickly slammed the brake. "What, what?" he asked, a little panicked.

"You can't just pull out onto the road! You have to check for cars first!" cried Maddie.

"But there _aren't_ any cars!" the boy protested.

"You still have to check!" snapped Maddie.

Danny rolled his eyes and checked the mirrors and out the window. "Okay, _now_ can I go?"

"Yes," said Maddie, regaining her cool.

The car moved forward slowly. Danny put down the accelerator a little.

"In residential areas, the speed limit is twenty-five, right?" asked Danny, remembering this from the written test.

"That's right," said Maddie, "But you don't have to go that fast right now if you don't want to. Oh, and get on the other side of the road."

"The other side?" Danny didn't register this. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, concentrating on not going too fast.

"Yes. In America, we drive on the _right_ side of the road. We're on the _left_ side right now," said Maddie.

"But we're in a residential area!"

"You still have to be on the right side," said Maddie. "Danny, right side, _now!_"

Danny gently turned the wheel until the car was on the other side. Maddie nodded approvingly. "Okay, sweetie, we're going to go to the hospital parking lot, okay? It's just around the corner up there and down the road. It's the back way. There probably won't be any cars, so we can take it slow."

Danny didn't respond. He remembered taking this way to the hospital before. As they neared the stop sign, Danny asked, "Left turn?"

"Right," said Maddie.

Confused, Danny turned right.

"Danny! I said '_left!'_" yelled Maddie.

"You said '_right!'_" snapped Danny.

"I didn't mean 'right' as in 'right' I meant 'right' as in '_right!'_"

"_What?_"

"Stop!"

Danny applied pressure to the brake and turned to his mother. "Okay, so now what?"

"We're going to make a u-turn," said Maddie calmly, "There are no cars, so you can take your time. So, what you want to do is keep your foot on the brake and turn the wheel to the left as far as you can."

Danny did so, but he was clearly agitated. Maddie patted him on the back. "Good! Now, take your foot off of the brake and slowly let the car turn."

The car started to move. When it was turned around almost a full 180 degrees, Maddie instructed, "Now, put on the accelerator."

The car lurched forward. "Not that much!" Maddie yelped.

"Sorry!" Danny eased off, his eyes wide. "Um, so just straight now?"

"Yes, this will go to the hospital," said Maddie.

The car followed a straight path for a while. Danny's hold on the steering wheel was tense, causing his knuckles to turn white.

"Danny, relax. You're doing fine," assured Maddie.

"This is kind of scary," Danny said.

"It always is at first, but you'll get more comfortable," said Maddie, "Everyone at first—_Danny, you just ran that stop sign!_"

"What stop sign?" asked Danny, his voice layered with anxiety.

"The stop sign back there!"

"I didn't see a stop sign!"

"You didn't see that?" yelled Maddie, "You didn't see the big red sign with the big white words that said '_STOP?'_"

"No!" cried Danny defensively.

"You really didn't see that?" Maddie was livid. "That's because your stupid hair is always hanging in front of your face! It impairs your vision!"

"What's wrong with my hair?" demanded Danny.

"It's too long! I'm setting up an appointment for you to get it cut."

"But I _like_ my hair!" Danny yelled.

"It's due for a cut anyway, Danny. Besides, you missed that stop sign back there because of it!"

"You're seriously blaming my _hair?_" Danny was incredulous. They were still driving straight along the road. "Was there white around the edge of the stop sign?" he asked.

Maddie was taken aback at the odd question. "Of course there was," she said.

"I heard from some guy that stop signs with white around the edge were optional," informed Danny.

Maddie glared at him. "Danny, you're an _idiot_ if you believed that. _All_ stops signs have white around the edge!"

"Really?" Danny was thoughtful, absently slowing down the speed of the car.

"Yeah, and you would know that if you actually _studied_ the booklet," said Maddie.

"I _did_ study!"

"Obviously you didn't! You failed _twice_!" Maddie accused.

Danny growled and gritted his teeth. "But I've passed now, so it doesn't matter!"

"You still failed _twice!_" The older woman felt her blood heating. "It was extremely inconvenient for your father and me to keep having to drive you to the MVD to take that test! You should've just _studied_ and passed the first time!"

"But I _did_ study!" Danny pressed again, "There were just some weird questions! I mean, how was I supposed to know what the penalty is for a second DUI? I didn't think I had to know _that!_"

"Well, if you had _studied_, you _would_ have known that!" shouted Maddie.

"I didn't think to study _that_ part! I mean, I don't ever plan on drinking!" said Danny.

"You should've studied _everything_ in that booklet! You should've known that! _Jazz_ knew that!"

"Of course Jazz knew that. Jazz is fu—" Whoa, he couldn't say _that_ around his mother. "—rickin' perfect."

Maddie's jaw dropped in disgust. "Danny, did you almost _swear?_"

"No," Danny lied, adjusting the steering wheel a little.

Maddie shook her head. "Don't use such a harsh tone about your sister, Danny. She has her share of flaws, too."

"No, Jazz has only one flaw, and that's being frickin' perfect."

"Danny, I am sick of your attitude. Cool it right now!"

"You're telling _me_ to cool it? Why don't _you_ cool it?" challenged Danny, "All you've been doing is yelling at me!"

Maddie silently collected her emotions and sorted them out, pushing away the negative ones. She knew that all she was doing was frustrating the boy. "Okay, okay. Just focus on driving." _I didn't have problems like this with _Jazz… she thought. She looked ahead up the road. "Alright, the turn for the hospital is coming up. See it there?"

"I'm going to turn _right?_" asked Danny, annoyed.

"Yes, Danny. You're going to turn right," said Maddie evenly, "And move more towards the middle of the road. You're too close to the curb."

"It's _fine,_ Mom. I'm not hitting it."

"You need to be in the center of the lane. You're looking too close ahead of the car. You need to look farther up the road. That'll help you stay center," Maddie said.

"Who cares as long as I'm not hitting the curb?" asked Danny.

"Bikers sometimes ride along there, Danny." Maddie sighed.

"I don't care about stupid—"

"Danny, the turn is coming up. It's right there!" cried Maddie.

"I know!" Danny yelled, "I'm not blind!"

"You're going too fast! You need to slow down!"

"I _am_ slowing down!"

"Danny, _slow down!_"

"I _am!_"

"_Danny!_" screamed Maddie, "_Sharp turn! Sharp turn!_" She grabbed the ceiling handle and subconsciously pushed her foot against the floor of the car, as if there was a brake there.

The car made a wide turn and screeched as it moved onto the road leading to the parking lot. Maddie felt herself thrown to the left, but her seatbelt held her in place.

"Danny, what was that?" Maddie was angry. "I told you to slow down!"

"I _did_ slow down!" Danny cried, exasperated.

"Not enough! When you're making a turn like that, you need to almost stop!" Maddie put a hand to her forehead. "Alright, maybe we should just go home and continue some other day."

"Oh, no. We're not quitting now," said Danny, "I'm doing this."

Maddie was unnerved by the mischievous gleam in his eye. "Danny, what are you—?"

Danny made another awkward u-turn and came to a jerky halt at the stop sign. "There, I stopped, see?"

"Danny, if you want to keep going, then we should practice a little in the hospital's usually empty back parking lot," said Maddie.

"But I want to give you something to _really_ get mad at me about!" Danny grinned. "Seeing as all you want to do is yell and point out my mistakes!"

"I _have_ to point your mistakes! That's how you _learn_, Danny!" explained Maddie. She was starting to get a little edgy.

"Well, you don't have to yell at me!"

"You made me yell, Danny! You wouldn't listen to me!"

"Why couldn't _Dad_ have taken me?" asked Danny, "You always get so uptight!"

"Let's not get into that, Danny," said Maddie, "Let's just go home, okay?"

"Okay, then." Danny smiled slyly.

Maddie caught the smile. "Get that look off your face, Danny. Don't do anything stupid."

Danny made a sharp left turn. Maddie grabbed the handle again. "Danny!" she shouted.

Danny pushed down the accelerator, causing the car to suddenly move forward at a rapidly building pace. "Here we go!" cried Danny wildly.

"Danny, the speed limit is thirty-five! Slow down!" Maddie was scared as the scenery flew by.

"But isn't this fun, Mom?" asked Danny, "Isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it?"

"You ran the same stop sign!" Maddie's eyes were wide with fright.

"Sorry, my stupid hair was impairing my stupid vision," Danny said mock apologetically.

"_DANNY, STOP THE CAR!_" Maddie screamed at the top of her lungs. Not thinking and out of desperation, she smacked him. Danny, not expecting this, lost control of the steering wheel for a second, causing the car to swerve. He instantly applied the brake, causing the vehicle to come to a screeching standstill.

The two said a nothing for a moment, just stared out the front window and panted.

"You are such a jerk, Danny!" Maddie finally shrieked, "Really, you are!"

Danny looked down at the steering wheel and said nothing.

"Get out of the driver's seat. _I'm_ going to drive now." Maddie unbuckled her belt and opened the car door, swiftly jumping out. Danny did the same, but as soon as he took his foot off the brake, the car started moving forward.

"Danny, you moron, put it in _Park!_" yelled Maddie.

Danny put down the brake again and shifted the gear. The car started to move backwards.

"Not Reverse, _Park!_" Maddie's temper flared.

Danny silently corrected the mistake and proceeded to get out of the car. He kept his gaze down on the ground as he passed his mother to get into the passenger's seat.

Maddie shut the door forcefully when she was properly situated in the driver's seat. She waited for Danny to put on his seatbelt, and then put the car in Drive.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Danny looked sad. It made her feel somewhat guilty. "Danny, I'm sorry I hit you, okay?"

Danny didn't reply. Maddie sighed. "Look, I was just hysterical. That little trick you pulled really scared me."

Danny's head sunk lower. "You don't need to be sorry. I deserved it." He let out a slow, shaky breath.

His tone tugged at her heart, and Maddie felt like kicking herself. "It was my fault. I frustrated you. I should've been calmer." She chuckled light-heartedly. "Then again, everything that you _could_ do wrong, you did."

Danny only smiled weakly. They were silent the rest of the way home.

Maddie parked Jazz's car along the curb. She locked it before heading up with Danny to the house. She placed an arm around her son, but not before noticing his bright red cheek. "Oh, wow, Danny. I'm really sorry. Does it hurt?"

Danny shrugged. "Not really."

Maddie ran a hand through his hair. "Well, I guess you can keep your hair this length, but it at least needs a trim."

"Okay," responded Danny apathetically.

Maddie pulled the boy closer to her. Danny didn't resist, but he made no attempt to return the affection.

Before going inside, Maddie stopped at the front door, causing her son to stop as well. She placed her hands on his shoulders, but Danny kept his head down.

She fondly lifted his chin so that she could see his face. Danny's eyes were still on the ground. "Danny, look at me, sweetie."

He reluctantly met her gaze. Maddie smiled. "You did just fine."

Danny stared at her for a moment before shaking his head, but he was also smiling. "You don't have to lie. I know I sucked."

"Oh, no you didn't, Danny. I'm not lying." She gave him a big hug. "You're just beginning, after all. Tomorrow, you'll do much better, right?"

"Tomorrow?" Danny flinched. "How 'bout we wait another week or month?"

Maddie laughed as she led him into the house.

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The End! Thanks for reading! It was very fun for me to write, I must say.


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